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dimarts, 3 de gener de 2012

2012 counterterrorism: NYPD acquires fleet of underwater drones*

The nation's largest, most sophisticated law
enforcement agency, the New York City Police Department, announced its
acquisition of new, high-tech equipment to help police officers keep the
city safe from terrorists: the NYPD’s Harbor Unit now
possesses unmanned underwater drones to help bomb technicians and
emergency services unit officers to detect suspected
underwater explosives.

The NYPD now possesses six underwater drones, with each costing
between $75,000 and $120,000 depending on the drones' capabilities.

These drones help to sweep the city’s waterways and bridges
searching for possible bombs and IEDs (improvised explosive devices). In
a recent drone demonstration, NYPD officers easily tossed the
lightweight -- sixteen pound -- submersible equipped with lights and
sonar into the harbor and sailed it beneath the hull of a large
commercial tanker docked close to the Kings County (Brooklyn)
Army Terminal.

The police officers showed that they were able to guide the drone via
remote control in order to utilize its underwater camera to search
below the ship. The drone operators, all of whom are veteran
detectives, have been trained to identify what biological or
radiological weapons look like and where underwater explosives or
narcotics are most likely to be hidden.

Under Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and later his replacement Ray
Kelly, the Harbor Unit is used more in performing counterterrorism
operations than the unit is used to conduct rescue and
recovery operations.

On most days the unit receives several security alerts from the
police department's Intelligence Division each day. This
situation demands that the unit inspects suspicious boats below bridges,
sweep an incoming cargo ship’s hull, or respond to a report of a
"suspicious floating package."

With thousands of cargo ships entering New York Harbor and millions
of shipping containers being delivered, the law enforcement recognizes
the reality that New York's harbor and waterways are prime terrorist
targets.

Should the police find a suspected underwater device they have been
instructed to call in the U.S. Navy, since NYPD bomb squad members are
not trained to neutralize underwater explosives.